felt

noun \ ˈfelt \

|Updated on: 21 Jun 2018

Definition of felt

1 a : a cloth made of wool and fur often mixed with natural or synthetic fibers through the action of heat, moisture, chemicals, and pressure

b : a firm woven cloth of wool or cotton heavily napped and shrunk

2 : an article made of felt

3 : a material resembling felt: such as

a : a heavy paper of organic or asbestos fibers impregnated with asphalt and used in building construction

b : semirigid pressed fiber insulation used in building

—

feltlike

adjective

See felt defined for English-language learners

See felt defined for kids

Examples of felt in a Sentence

She made her son's costume from scraps of felt.

Recent Examples of felt from the Web

Spends its life running in circles, chasing a bit of felt made up like a rabbit.

— refinery29.com, "I Have a New Favorite Westworld Character & It’s Ford’s Very Good Boy," 4 June 2018
My fertility doctor’s assertion that egg freezing was the best solution for me as a 29-year-old felt premature.

— nicole ellis, Washington Post, "‘Should I freeze my eggs?’: A doctor’s second opinion made all the difference," 2 May 2018
Alluring anemone Delicate anemone flowers can handle more playful arrangements—everywhere from vases to hairstyles—when they’re made from durable materials like thin wool felt and faux leather.

— kathleen corlett, Good Housekeeping, "How To Make Paper Flowers That Are Even More Stunning Than The Real Thing," 31 Aug. 2017
Cut two 4-inch-high triangles from felt for ears; paint centers to resemble fur.

— shelley wolson, Woman's Day, "Halloween Costume How-to: Cheshire Cat," 8 Oct. 2010
The atmosphere is brighter, the music is softer, the instructors are less reverend-like, and the dance moves are kept to a minimum — all of which could be pros, but most felt like cons to me.

— grace dickinson, Philly.com, "Which Philly-area spin studio classes are worth the hype and heavy price tag?," 29 May 2018
By the time their donors were revealed a few days ago, the primary felt like a distant memory.

— david wright, CNN, "Dark money tactics used in West Virginia's primary could spread as midterm season heats up," 28 May 2018
In the vein of works by Joseph Beuys made on felt, Roesch’s drawings depict the world’s deadliest mountains for climbers.

— molly glentzer, Houston Chronicle, "Art Daybook: Ariane Roesch gives social climbers the red-carpet treatment," 16 May 2018
From there, moving to retail felt like the natural next step.

— diana tsui, The Cut, "The Bloomingdale’s Executive Who Loves a Tailored Uniform," 15 May 2018

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'felt.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Origin and Etymology of felt

Middle English, from Old English; akin to Old High German filz felt, Latin pellere to drive, beat

NEW! Time Traveler

First Known Use: before 12th century

in the meaning defined at sense 1a

See Words from the same year

felt

verb

Definition of felt

felted; felting; felts

transitive verb

1 : to make out of or cover with felt

2 : to cause to adhere and mat together

3 : to make into felt or a similar substance

Recent Examples of felt from the Web

Meek's crew caught 1800 beavers here in 1850 alone, shipping their pelts to Europe to be felted into waterproof hats.

— ben goldfarb, Science | AAAS, "Beaver dams without beavers? Artificial logjams are a popular but controversial restoration tool," 7 June 2018
Another intriguing sustainability initiative comes from womenswear label Eileen Fisher, whose DesignWork project works with artists and makers to felt and stitch used garments into wall hangings, upholstery, pillows, and more.

— jenny xie, Curbed, "All the NYCxDesign 2018 highlights you should know," 30 May 2018
Bynder, a brand management company with offices in Fort Point, has devoted a big area to a pool table felted in the light blue color of the company’s logo.

— andy rosen, BostonGlobe.com, "Not your parents’ office? Now it is: Tech workspaces start to grow up," 5 Apr. 2018
Coming to felt like swimming up from the depths of a murky pond.

— lana hoch, Marie Claire, "I Cheated on My Boyfriend with My Rapist," 2 Feb. 2018
These fun felted wool bunnies are available sitting, lying on their backs, or holding a basket.

— alejandra bennett, Sunset, "10 Easter Decorations with a Touch of Whimsy," 22 Jan. 2018
In a year where every aspect of our culture felt connected in ways that were either hard to understand or felt like a stretch, Browne got to the bottom of it all.

— Longreads, "Longreads Best of 2017: Sports Writing," 13 Dec. 2017
Four of the sources The Enquirer spoke to felt the delay, and ultimate improper handling of the final moments before 4 p.m., was due to a lack of a consensus between the personnel department and coaching staff in Cleveland regarding McCarron.

— jim owczarski, Cincinnati.com, "How the Cleveland Browns’ trade for Cincinnati Bengals quarterback AJ McCarron fell apart," 1 Nov. 2017